eng460_user_guidesfandomcom-20200214-history
YouTube User Guide
Introduction For a scholar to publish their work on YouTube, the first thing they need to do is create an account. This is very simple and it is free. One simply clicks the "sign up" button in the upper right-hand corner of the page, creates an account, and then is ready to begin creating! YouTube provides users with a free way to both upload their own videos and to view videos that others have uploaded, and following below is a detailed discussion of three of YouTube's main features; browsing videos, uploading videos, and managing videos. Browsing/Managing Videos One of the great things about YouTube is that it is easy to find videos relevant to one's interest. After finding an appealing video through the use of the search bar, related videos appear in a "Recommended For You" (also sometimes labelled "up next") panel along the side of the screen, sometimes from the same publisher but many times from different publishers. This obviates the need to search out each video of interest individually; YouTube will oftentimes find them for you. On every video there will be a link to the publisher's channel, and you can subscribe to the channel in order to be informed right away whenever they publish new content. Directly beside this subscribe button, you can see how many other users have subscribed to this particular channel as well. Once you have susbcribed, all of your subscriptions will appear on the left-hand side of your screen. To view the recent videos of channels you are subscribed to, click on subscriptions and you will be directed to a page that looks a lot like YouTube's homepage, but only with videos put out by the channels you have subscribed to. To unsubscribe to a channel at any time, you click on the "manage subscriptions" button on the left-side menu, and you will then be redirected to a page where you can unsubscribe from any of the channels you want. You can also build playlists of your favorite videos. Underneath every video there is an "Add to" option, which by clicking on will allow you to organize your videos into a named playlist. It is possible to feature other users' channels from your own channel as well. This is helpful in the instance of a viewer wanting to find videos similar to the videos you have put out. The "featured channels" button is on the right side of your channel's page screen. Simply copy the URL of the channel you want to feature into the box that asks for the information, and it will upload a link to that channel onto your channel's page as well. With an account, you can also leave comments on other users' videos, opening up the possibility for collaborative disccussions about the video's content. This, in turn, may draw more viewers to your own channel if they find your comments thought-provoking and interesting. Another thing you may want to do when browsing another user's channel is to share their video via social media. Right beside the "Add To" button used for making playlists is a "share" option, and with that you can share the video on Facebook or Twitter or any other social media. Uploading Videos When it comes to creating your own content, the first thing that needs to be done is to click "upload" in the top right-hand corner of the screen. From here there are a couple different options. You can upload videos from your computer or you can also click on a link to do a live webcam recording session. Once the video itself has been uploaded, you will be asked to create a title for the video and add a description. There is also the option to publish in different languages and to control things such as who can see the video, rather or not comments will be allowed, and what age restrictions can be placed on the video if it contains adult themes. An important thing to keep in mind when uploading videos is rather or not your video contains material that is copyrighted. This will be addressed a bit more in the FAQs below, but basically uploading copyrighted material can result in the video being removed by YouTube or, if copyright problems continue, the suspension of your channel. Other issues that may arise are online harrassment, threats, and all of these can be solved by reporting them to YouTube's "reporting tool." It is also possible to block comments and certain users from viewing your site. Once your video has been uploaded, it will appear under the "videos" tab on your channel. If for any reason you wish to delete a video, click on the video and beneath the screen you will see a tab that says "video manager." Selecting this will bring you to a page where all of your videos are listed and can be selected. Select the video you wish to delete, and click on the "actions" tab at the top of the screen to find the "delete" button. Managing Your Own Content Once you have built up a repetoire of videos, it is time to start thinking about how to display them on your channel. Under the "videos" tab, your videos will appear in order of most recently uploaded. But there are different ways of categorizing the videos, and these are useful especially if your channel contains many uploads. Rather than have users shift backwards through time for the video that they want, you can create playlists of your own videos so that you can group them into whichever way you think to be the most pertinent. It is also possible to have your videos show up according to popularity. To do this, just click on the "data added" tab (which is in the upper right-hand corner of the screen under the "videos" tab, and switch the viewing option from "newest-oldest" to "most popular." Another useful tool for managing your own content is the creator studio. You can access the creator studio by clicking on your profile in the upper corner of the screen and clicking on the studio tab. From here, several options become available. You can click on the Dashboard, which will display the analytics of your channel (how many views each video has, rather or not there are any new comments made on them, if you've gained any new subscribers). From the Dashboard there are also venues to host live streaming. You can also access the status of your channel through the Dashboard page, as illustrated in the image below. The image also shows the variety of options available to you in regards to your channel. There is the option to monetize your channel, which is helpful if you think your videos might become popular. There is also an option to add a watermark to one's videos under the "branding" tab. Select an uploaded image and it will appear in all of your videos. This is useful if you are managing a channel that is promoted or run by a specific organization or company. Finally, you might want to consider how you are going to make your channel appealing to viewers. A YouTube channel is in many ways like a regular television channel; it needs to catch the eye and draw attention to itself in some way. Two customization features that you can access from your channel's home page is creating a profile picture and creating a banner that is displayed along the top of your channel's screen. The "edit" tabs are directly over the spaces on the channel's page themselves, and all it takes is to click on them to upload your own photos. FAQ *What can I do with a YouTube account? Anyone can browse videos without having an account, but in order to comment on them, favorite them, or upload your own content, you need to create an account. *Can I have more than one account? Yes! In the upper right hand corner of the screen where your existing account's information is, there is also the option to "Add Account." You sign in using the same information as for the first, but then you can have a different username if you like. This is a good option for users with multiple interests who want each channel to highlight a particular one. *How do I sign out of my YouTube account? On a computer, signing out is as simple as going to your account information in the upper right-hand corner and clicking "sign out." On the mobile device, it is a little bit trickier. Under your account information there is an option to "Use YouTube without a Google Account." Clicking on this will sign you out of your account on a mobile device. The option is sort of hidden and isn't as apparent as a large button that says "sign out." *How do I get permission to use another person's content in my video? This question appears in YouTube's very own FAQ forum, and they respond by saying that they cannot grant you the rights to someone else's work, even if it is work that has already been previously uploaded to their channel. You must seek out the owner themselves to come to an agreement. *What if somebody else uses my videos without permission? Again, YouTube's own FAQ forum provides an answer. If you believe that your work was posted by somebody else without authorization, you may submit a copyright infringement notification.